Alcohol-Linked Cancer Deaths in US Have Doubled Since 1990

A University of Miami study found U.S. alcohol-attributable cancer deaths rose from about 11,400 in 1990 to more than 23,100 in 2023.

Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in the United States doubled between 1990 and 2023, according to a new study led by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Using more than three decades of Global Burden of Disease data, researchers found that annual deaths rose from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023. The findings were presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting and published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.

The most striking result is the breadth of alcohol's impact beyond liver cancer. Dr. Chinmay Jani, the study's corresponding author, said its contribution to colorectal, esophageal, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers is less well understood by the public. Among adults ages 20 to 54, colorectal cancer was the leading alcohol-attributable cancer death in men and the second leading cause in women, surpassing liver cancer in both groups — a pattern the researchers called concerning in younger adults.

Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in the same category as tobacco smoke and asbestos, with established links to breast, liver, esophageal, colorectal and several head and neck cancers. Among older men, liver cancer accounted for the highest alcohol-attributable mortality rates, followed by esophageal and colorectal cancers; among women, breast cancer ranked first. WDBJ7 reports that more than 23,000 Americans died from alcohol-linked cancer in 2023, compared with about 11,000 in 1990, and that breast cancer was the leading alcohol-related cancer death among women. Washington, D.C. recorded the highest state-level mortality rates in 2023, while Utah had the lowest.

The burden fell hardest on men and adults age 55 and older, but increases appeared across most cancer types, age groups and regions. The findings have particular relevance for Florida, which the University of Miami notes has one of the nation's largest populations of older adults, the age group with the highest alcohol-attributable cancer mortality. Dr. Gilberto Lopes, senior author and chief of medical oncology at Sylvester, said alcohol-related cancer risk is not limited to one disease or one group of people, and that even small, informed changes in drinking can be part of a broader strategy to reduce cancer risk.

Despite the growing evidence, public awareness of the alcohol-cancer connection remains relatively low compared with awareness of risks like tobacco use, according to the University of Miami researchers. Dr. Jani said the most important takeaway is greater awareness that alcohol may affect cancer risk beyond the liver, and that while the lowest safe dose is not yet known, reducing consumption to the lowest amount feasible for each individual may help lessen its impact on cancer risk and overall health. The team hopes the large-scale data will inform prevention, education and early-detection efforts in South Florida and beyond.